Messier 80

The globular cluster Messier 80 (NGC 6093) is located in the constellation Scorpio. He is one of the densest globular clusters of the Milky Way ( with an estimated mass density in the central area of 5.7 M ☉ / pc3 ). M80 is relatively easy to find on Earth's skies, as it is not far from the bright stars Antares ( α Scorpii ) and δ Scorpii.

Appearance

M 80 is one of the fainter and smaller globular clusters in the Messier catalog. In prism binoculars it appears as a round misty spot. With a telescope of 4 inches aperture, the edge region can be resolved into individual stars.

Observation history

M 80 was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Méchain. Charles Messier was watching him in the same year.

On May 21, 1860 Nova appeared in M80, which received the designation T Scorpii. The Nova had that day a brightness of 7.0 mag and was significantly brighter than the total clusters. On June 16, the Nova was already decayed to 10.5 mag.